Horas Madina celebrates the formation in 1999 of the regency of Mandailing-Natal (abbreviated MADINA) and the coexistance of man and nature as well as the conservation of its natural and cultural assets for education, cultural survival, cultural pilgrimage and sustainable eco-tourism

The Asiatic golden cat is about twice the size of a large house cat. Its head and body are up to 1 m (3.3') long and it weighs about 14 kg (30 lb). Its coat color is variable - it can be golden brown to dark brown, pale cinnamon, bright red, or gray. The fur is usually uniform in color, but it can also be marked with spots and stripes. The fur is moderately long, dense, and rather harsh to the touch. The Asiatic golden cat has short, rounded ears, and in all color phases its head is distinctly marked with white lines bordered with black running across each cheek and from the inner corner of each eye up to the crown.

The Asiatic golden cat usually inhabits tropical and subtropical evergreen lowland and dry deciduous forest. It has been recorded up to 3,050 m (10,000') in the Himalayas. The Asiatic golden cat does not adapt well to areas settled by humans. It has a wide ranging diet, composed mainly of small mammals (e.g. rats and mice), but also including birds, reptiles and larger mammals such as deer. In some areas the Asiatic golden cat is thought to be nocturnal, while in other areas it appears to be active during the day and at night. Young golden cats are raised in hollow trees, in rock hollows, and in holes in the ground. The Asiatic golden cat is primarily a terrestrial hunter, but it can climb trees when it needs to. Males and females often hunt in pairs, and the male is thought to play an active role in rearing the young.

The Asiatic golden cat is found from Tibet (China), Nepal, and Sikkim (India) through southern China, Myanmar, Thailand, and peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra (Indonesia). Areas of good habitat still exist in Bhutan, parts of northeastern India, and China. It is thought to be uncommon. The Asiatic golden cat is threatened primarily by habitat loss due to deforestation and loss of its prey due to illegal hunting. It is also hunted for its pelt, and its bones are used as a substitute for tiger bone in traditional Asian medicines.

Tidbits*** Cat Tidbit #2: It has been a mystery for years why domestic cats, along with big cats like lions, tigers, leopards and jaguars, don’t like sweet-tasting foods. This is unusual in mammals. Scientists have discovered why cats prefer eating meat and fish instead - they can’t taste sugary foods due to a defect in a key gene for tasting. Molecular analysis shows that big cats also have the faulty gene. (Cat News 2004) (See Cat Tidbit #3.)

*** In Thailand, the forest people believe that the Asiatic golden cat is extremely fierce, and that it's the master of all other cats. The Karen, a local tribe, believe that carrying a single hair of the Asiatic golden cat on your person will keep tigers away. (Sunquist & Sunquist 2002)

*** In China, the Asiatic golden cat is thought to be a kind of leopard and is known as the rock cat or yellow leopard. Different color phases have different names; those with dark fur are called inky leopards, and those with spotted coats are called sesame leopards. (Sunquist & Sunquist 2002)

Status and TrendsIUCN Status:[The IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature; also called the World Conservation Union) is the world’s largest conservation organization. Its members include countries, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations. The IUCN determines the worldwide status of threatened animals and publishes the status in its Red List.]

Taxonomy:Recent genetic analyses have lead to the proposal that all modern cats can be placed into eight lineages which originated between 6.2 - 10.8 million years ago. The Asiatic golden cat is placed in the "bay cat lineage," which diverged from its ancestors as a separate lineage 10.8 million years ago. The bay cat lineage also includes the bay cat and the marbled cat. (Johnson et al. 2006)

Population Estimates:[Note: Figures given are for wild populations only.]

WORLD The Asiatic golden cat’s total effective population size is estimated at below 10,000 mature breeding individuals (IUCN 2005). Distribution:The Asiatic golden cat is found from Tibet (China), Nepal, and Sikkim (India) through southern China, Myanmar, Thailand, and peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra (Indonesia). Areas of good habitat still exist in Bhutan, parts of northeastern India, and China. It is thought to be uncommon. (Sunquist & Sunquist 2002, IUCN 2005)

Distribution Map (2 Kb GIF) (Big Cats Online)

Threats:The Asiatic golden cat is threatened primarily by habitat loss due to deforestation and loss of its prey due to illegal hunting. It is also hunted for its pelt, and its bones are used as a substitute for tiger bone in traditional Asian medicines (Grassman et al. 2005, IUCN 2005).

Habitat:The Asiatic golden cat inhabits tropical and subtropical evergreen lowland and dry deciduous forest. Less frequently it is found in more open habitats such as shrub and grasslands and sometimes in more open rocky areas. It has been recorded from lowlands up to 3,050 m (10,000') (Sikkim, India, in the Himalayas). Two radio-collared Asiatic golden cats in Thailand used habitat (95% - closed forest, and 5% - open forest-grassland) in proportion to occurrence, rather than favoring one type of habitat over the other, and locations were uniformly distributed. The Asiatic golden cat does not adapt well to or prefer areas settled by humans. (Humphrey & Bain 1990, Nowell & Jackson 1996, Holden 2001, Sunquist & Sunquist 2002, Grassman et al. 2005, IUCN 2005)

Birth Season:Litters are born throughout the year in captivity (Sunquist & Sunquist 2002). In the wild, a male and female pair was photographed with a small cub in late August in Sumatra, Indonesia (Holden 2001).

Denning - The Asiatic golden cat raises its young in hollow trees, in rock hollows, and in holes in the ground (Humphrey & Bain 1990).

Hunting and Feeding - The Asiatic golden cat is primarily a terrestrial hunter, but it can climb trees when it needs to. In captivity, Asiatic golden cats kill small prey with a bite on the back of the neck, as is typical of small cat species generally. They also pluck birds larger than pigeons before beginning to feed. (Sunquist & Sunquist 2002)

Social Organization:The Asiatic golden cat often hunts in pairs, and the male is said to play an active role in rearing the young (Nowak 1999).

In the study in Thailand mentioned above, where one male and one female Asiatic golden cat were radio-collared and radio-tracked. It was found that there was a significant overlap in the home ranges of the male and the female. Fifty-three percent of the range of the male encompassed 78% of the range of the female. (Grassman et al. 2005)

Sipangan Anak Sipangan Boru

Abdur-Razzaq Lubis

About Me

Namora Sende Loebis, author, environmentalist and social activist, is a sixth generation Malaysian Mandailing, grew up in PJ (Petaling Jaya), a suburbd of KL (Kuala Lumpur). His advocacy works include Discredit Interest-Debt! The Instrument of World Enslavement (PAID, 1996); Jerat Utang IMF? Sebuah Pelajaran Berharga Bagi Para Pemimpin Bangsa - Khususnya Indonesia (Mizan, 1999) and Water Watch: A Community Action Guide (APPEN, 1998). He is the author of Raja Bilah and the Mandailings in Perak, 1875-1911 (MBRAS, 2004) Kinta Valley: Pioneering Malaysia's Modern Development (Perak Academy, 2005). His latest work is Perak Postcards 1890s-1940s (Areca Books: 2010) His books are featured on www.arecabooks.com.